I Heard I’m a Scummy Alpha? [Transmigration] - Chapter 61

When President Liu saw the call was from his butler, he froze, phone in hand, not moving.

He had never once received a call from the butler while away from home. For the call to come immediately after Qi Yunwei’s unsettling words—what could that mean?

Qi Yunwei, as if she already knew the truth, said calmly,

“President Liu, ignoring a call won’t make the disaster go away.”

Madam Liu thought Qi Yunwei was fearmongering. She snatched the phone from her husband, pressed “accept,” and turned on speaker mode.

“Why are you suddenly calling? Did something happen at home?” she asked.

The butler’s breathless voice came through:

“Madam, you and the President mustn’t come back right now!”

President Liu’s chest tightened. He grabbed the phone back.

“What happened at home?”

“The villa’s on fire, sir!” the butler cried. “By the time we noticed, the flames were already raging. The fire hydrant water is useless against it. We called the fire station, but they said we’re too far—at least an hour before they can arrive.”

President Liu’s face went deathly pale.

“Stay back, don’t get hurt. I’ll be there soon.”

“President, don’t come back! The wind outside is making the fire spread faster—who knows what’ll be left in an hour?”

President Liu hung up and turned sharply to Qi Yunwei.

“How did you know? Was it you? Did you set the fire?”

Qi Yunwei shook her head.

“President Liu, it has nothing to do with me. It’s the fortune tree—this disaster comes from it. I’ve told you this many times.”

“I’ll report this to the police. Whatever’s going on, they’ll investigate. My house is covered with cameras. If it really was you” His eyes shifted coldly to Yan Zui. “President Yan, even for your sake, I won’t let this slide. I’ll see Qi Yunwei behind bars.”

He yanked his wife to her feet, and they hurried out.

The door slammed shut with a heavy bang, leaving the private room in silence.

Yan Zui glanced at Qi Yunwei. She wasn’t the least bit rattled by President Liu’s threat, which made Yan Zui suspect the matter truly had nothing to do with her.

But if it had nothing to do with her, it was even stranger.

“How did you know his house would catch fire?” Yan Zui asked. She had always been someone who believed firmly in science, never in ghosts or gods. Yet Qi Yunwei’s words and actions were starting to shake her.

“I dreamed it,” Qi Yunwei replied.

“You dreamed that President Liu’s house would burn? Do you know why it caught fire?” Yan Zui asked.

Qi Yunwei gazed out at the gloomy sky. No thunder could be heard inside the room, but lightning flickered faintly among the dark clouds.

“In my dream, lightning struck the fortune tree and set it ablaze. President Liu and his relatives were holding a gathering at the villa. They all got drunk, fell asleep, and were burned alive.”

Yan Zui was left speechless.

Qi Yunwei’s claim was absurd. Besides, there wasn’t even a party at President Liu’s house today. Wait. The only reason the Liu couple had come to Hongyue Pavilion was because Qi Yunwei had requested to apologize in person.

If they hadn’t come, would they have stayed home hosting that party instead?

She had saved them.

Yan Zui’s worldview wavered. She recalled past incidents and asked softly,

“And Feng Yue’s wife—her cause of death.”

“That’s right. I dreamed that too,” Qi Yunwei said with certainty.

“Even before Feng Yue’s matter, I had dreamed of many things. When those dreams one by one proved real, I knew his wife’s death couldn’t be simple. That’s why I found a way to tell him, to push him to investigate himself. And it turned out the dreams didn’t lie.”

“Yesterday, the moment I saw the fortune tree at President Liu’s place, I remembered the dream from a few days ago. But this sort of thing is intangible—without evidence, no one would believe it. Seeing the Lius were fond of their fortune tree, I tried warning them through superstition. But it didn’t work—they only grew wary of me.”

The more she spoke, the more certain Qi Yunwei became that steering things toward the “mystical” was the right approach. As long as Yan Zui trusted her, she could use it to guide her away from hidden dangers.

Meanwhile, the Liu couple had already called the police on the way back. By the time they arrived, the villa was engulfed in flames. When the fire trucks finally came, the heavens opened and heavy rain poured down, helping to quench the inferno.

But it was too late. The villa lay in ruins, its walls charred black. Near them, the once-proud fortune tree had been reduced to a scorched husk.

The police arrived quickly. President Liu ordered his butler to hand over all surveillance footage, without mentioning Qi Yunwei. If she truly had been involved, the investigation would reveal it.

For now, the Lius and their staff relocated to a three-story house outside the estate. The next morning, police returned with fire experts to investigate the cause.

President Liu cautiously probed, “Officer, do you think this could’ve been arson?”

The officer, having already reviewed hours of surveillance, shook his head. “Not likely.”

“But our wiring is sound, and there are no fire-starting devices—how could it ignite on its own?” President Liu pressed.

“Yes,” Madam Liu agreed. “We service the wiring every year. Living so close to the mountain, we don’t dare risk even a spark—one ember could cause a wildfire.”

At that moment, the expert finished his inspection. He approached and said, “Of course the villa didn’t ignite on its own.”

The Lius’ eyes lit up.

“Then it was man-made? Please, explain to the officer!”

The expert shook his head. “Not man-made, either.”

Both froze.

“Not spontaneous, not man-made, then how?”

The expert pointed to the distance. “Lightning struck that tree. It caught fire and spread to the villa.”

President Liu’s mind thundered.

“This tree will bring disaster.”

The officer added, “The surveillance you provided shows the exact moment the lightning struck the tree and the fire spread. This was a natural disaster, not arson.”

President Liu stared blankly at the charred remains.

“No. It was man-made. If I’d listened to Qi Yunwei and had it dug out.”

“Ah!” Madam Liu suddenly gasped, clutching his hand, her face ashen.

“Tonight was supposed to be our family banquet.”

President Liu’s own face drained of color. His heart clenched with fear.

Every time relatives gathered, they drank heavily and fell asleep scattered throughout the villa.

If he and his wife hadn’t gone out tonight but stayed home to host, they would now be guilty beyond redemption—unable to face even their ancestors.

The next morning, at Yan Corporation headquarters, Qi Yunwei prepared to get out of the car to walk to her own office. Yan Zui suddenly called out.

Qi Yunwei turned. “What is it?”

Yan Zui’s usually cold eyes held a faint trace of worry.

“If President Liu reports to the police, will they come for you?”

Qi Yunwei smiled.

“No. Didn’t he say his house is full of cameras? If the police suspected me, they’d have come last night—not wait until now. You’re worrying too much.”

She added with a playful lilt, “Who knows, President Liu and his wife might even show up with gifts to thank me.”

Zhou Xiao, listening nearby, was utterly baffled. What is this about? Did Qi Yunwei commit some late-night crime? Why would the police arrest her? What’s any of this got to do with President Liu?

After Qi Yunwei left, Yan Zui stood watching her retreating figure until it vanished, then headed upstairs with Zhou Xiao.

In the elevator, Zhou Xiao hesitated for a long time before blurting,

“President Yan, did, did the boss lady sneak into President Liu’s estate last night to steal that fortune tree?”

She’d been there when Qi Yunwei demanded the tree. Combining that with today’s odd conversation, this was the only explanation she could think of—even if it sounded ridiculous.

Yan Zui blinked.

“You think she’d steal a tree?”

Scratching her head, Zhou Xiao mumbled,

“I don’t think she’d break the law. But you wouldn’t ask about her being arrested for no reason, so, I got worried.”

Yan Zui couldn’t help a faint smile.

“Yunwei said there’s nothing to worry about.”

At noon, Qi Yunwei came by with lunch. They had barely begun eating when Secretary Shen knocked and entered.

“President Yan, President Liu just contacted me. He wishes to visit this afternoon, together with Miss Qi. Do you have time?”

Relief softened Yan Zui’s taut heartstrings.

Qi Yunwei grinned.

“See? I told you. No need to worry.”

Yan Zui shot her a cool glance.

“I wasn’t worried.”

Qi Yunwei didn’t believe that for a second.

“Tell President Liu I’ll be available after three,” Yan Zui instructed Shen. They had a meeting at two.

Qi Yunwei added, “I’ll be interviewing programmers this afternoon, so I may not be free. Just accept their thanks for me—and while you’re at it, help me get their son’s contact information.”

Secretary Shen blinked. She’d only just learned yesterday that Qi Yunwei had founded a company. Now she was planning to personally interview programmers? Did she even understand what programmers did?

“Very well,” Yan Zui agreed.

She knew Qi Yunwei’s real target all along had been Liu’s son, currently abroad studying music.

A sudden thought struck her. After Shen left, she turned to Qi Yunwei.

“You’ve dreamed of Liu Xie, haven’t you? Otherwise, why care about an ungraduated student with no works to his name?”

Qi Yunwei snapped her fingers and laughed.

“Finally, you’ve spotted the key.”

She sketched the general “plot” she’d seen. Even Yan Zui felt pity for the tragedies looming over the Liu family.

Luck was on her side that afternoon. Of the three programmers she interviewed, two turned out surprisingly good. But when she offered them jobs on the spot, both hesitated—unsure whether they wanted to risk working at a brand-new company that might collapse.

Qi Yunwei understood. She saw them out, then stood by the entrance letting the autumn breeze brush her face.

Summer had passed, but the air was still warm, with only the faintest chill.

Du Yifan had just called—his old company already found a replacement. He’d finish his handover today, come to Guangnan tomorrow to find housing, and start work the day after.

Once Du Yifan arrived, the rest of the programmers she’d recruited online would follow. The company would finally come alive.

From the front desk, the receptionist watched her boss’s lonely silhouette and wondered if she was broke and worrying.

The guards speculated she’d failed to hire anyone, had no business, and was ready to shut down.

Another day of waiting for the company to collapse.

Qi Yunwei was about to head back upstairs when a familiar car pulled up.

It stopped at the entrance, and Yan Zui stepped out—followed by President Liu and his wife.

“You, why are you here?” Qi Yunwei hurried forward in surprise.

The Liu couple looked at her, their eyes brimming with tears of gratitude.

The receptionist and guards exchanged stunned glances.

What kind of reunion drama is this? Did the boss just find her long-lost millionaire parents?